Absalom
For more than 4,000 years, Absalom (pronounced AB-sah-lahm) has been the City at the Center of the World, a metropolis-sized showcase of the greatest treasures in all Golarion. The importance and influence of Absalom upon the Inner Sea and the whole of Golarion can not be overstated. The city not only holds a key strategic position for both commercial and military endeavors in the region, but encompasses the site of the ascension of four deities and claims to have been founded by none other than the Last Azlanti, the god Aroden. It is not without reason that the passage of time throughout the world is counted in Absalom Reckoning. Government :Main article: Government of Absalom Absalom is ruled by the Grand Council which is chaired by the primarch, a position currently held by Lord Gyr of House Gixx. The Council has twelve high seats (including the primarch's) and a variable number of low seats. Most of the city's administrative positions are filled by members of the Council, the more sought after titles going to members of the High Council. The position of primarch is held for life and decided upon by the High Council. It has additional privileges unique to the position granting the holder considerable power over the Council, and by corollary, the City at the Center of the World itself. Other important authority figures include Lady Neferpatra of House Ahnkamen, Grand Councilwoman, Envoy for the Dead, and First Lady of Laws; Goodman Hugen of House Candren, Grand Councilman, First Harbormaster, and owner of the Sea King Shipyards; and Lady Darchana of House Madinani, Senior Lesser Councilwoman, Archdean of the Arcanamirium, and Second Spell Lord. Absalom's great wealth is driven by trade, so the city's rulers strive to craft policies favorable to commerce (and their own interests), but otherwise take a relatively laissez-faire approach to regulation. Taxes in the city are very light, although Siege Taxes during wartime may be significantly higher. There are no property taxes, although the city charges for access to roads, sanitation, and other public infrastructure. Modest taxes on foreign merchants are generally sufficient to supply the city's needs. Geography Situated on the southern coast of the Isle of Kortos, Absalom is the largest city in the Inner Sea region and quite possibly the entire world. Countless abandoned siege engines and constructions of war from the numerous failed attempts throughout history to take the city by force lie scattered throughout the surrounding countryside in what has become known as the Cainlands and the wreckage of armadas of unsuccessful attempts on the city from the sea all but block the wide harbor in a mass known as the Flotsam Graveyard. No ship that carries more than six people or 500 pounds of cargo may sail through the Flotsam Graveyard helmd by its own pilot; instead, a trained helmsman from the Harbormaster's Grange must direct the craft through the hazard. A tax is assessed by the city for the use of a pilot as well as the docking fee, which captains pay because any ship that wrecks in the harbor is forfeit to the primarch. Districts :Main article: City districts of Absalom A city the size of Absalom could not function as a single cohesive unit, thus it has been divided or split naturally over time into a handful of distinct districts, each a city unto itself both in terms of sheer population and overall atmosphere, and each having its own district council to run its day-to-day affairs. From the high-class havens of the Petal and Ivy Districts to the dangerous and destitute districts of Puddles and Precipice Quarter, Absalom's neighborhoods run the gamut of both the economic and social spectra. Additionally, austere monuments of historical and spiritual significance draw thousands of people to Azlanti Keep, the Ascendant Court and Wise Quarter on a daily basis. Holdings More than just a city, Absalom controls holdings in and around the Isle of Kortos (though much of the isle remains wilderness). Although still under the control of the city-state, they function as independent communities. Diobel, the smaller of the two settlements, is a bustling port town located on the western coast of Kortes. The town is a center of trade in its own right, acting as a hub for fishermen, traders and smugglers wishing to bring illicit goods into the City at the Center of the World via overland caravan instead of through the closely watched harbor of Absalom proper. Because of its important position as an alternative shipping route into the city, control of Diobel is very valuable and rising factions wishing to gain power in Absalom can often be seen first across the Isle in Diobel. The city is currently ruled by Scion Lord Avid of House Arnsen, a rival and childhood friend of Absalom's own Lord Gyr. Escadar is a vital military town located on the Isle of Erran off Kortos's northern shore. Originally founded as a shipyard and warehouse to aid Absalom against naval blockades, the town quickly grew as workers and naval officers moved to Erran. Beyond its continuing function as a reserve navy for times of siege, the fair-sized military base operates throughout the Inner Sea and as far south as the Obari Ocean in constant efforts to hamper piracy in the region. Escadar's governing body, the Lesser Council of retired ship captains and young relatives of members of the Absalom Grand Council, has also been known to grant letters of marque to civilian ships committed to fighting piracy in the waters around the Isle of Kortos itself. History :Full article: History of Absalom Founded in 1 AR by the god Aroden when he raised the Starstone from the depths of the Inner See, there is nothing ordinary about Absalom's history even from its very first day in existence. Its whole-cloth creation allowed for a quick inhabitation and Aroden tasked the best and bravest from throughout Inner Sea region to protect the Starstone and prevent any from moving it. But given Absalom's tactical positioning and its undeniable influence, countless ambitious nations or greedy warlords have set their sights upon the walls of the city over the millennia, and the guarding of the city and the Starstone within has never been easy. For centuries on end the city was besieged by one army after another, attempting to bring Absalom to its knees and wrest control of it from all others. Despite the relentless onslaught, the city has never fallen. Relics of these ongoing wars still litter the plains of the Isle of Kortos surrounding the city and sunken warships clutter the harbor. Inhabitants Absalom's natives are justly proud of their great city: founded by a god, the place of ascension of several other deities, and an open port that has long welcomed visitors, merchants, and immigrants from all over the world. They value dedication, diversity, novelty, and commerce. More so than anywhere else on Golarion, Absalom plays home to every conceivable type of inhabitant. While primarily a human settlment, members of all races, religions and homelands can be seen in (and under) the streets of the City in the Center of the World. The specific demographics of each individual district vary greatly, but there are few (if any) peoples who are not represented somewhere within the city, even the mysterious gillmen of ancient Azlant and travelers from other planes. The earliest inhabitants of Absalom were wise and brave nobles, merchants and adventurers from the lands nearest to the Isle of Kortos, thus the influence of the nations of Andoran, Cheliax, Osirion, Qadira, Taldor and Thuvia remain most pronounced in the city to this day. Countless other cultures have left their own distinctive fingerprints on the culture and politics of Absalom, though, such as the frequent use of the Varisian Harrow deck in the passing of secret messages and the planning of political plots. Due to Absalom's proximity to the nations of Osirion and Qadira, and the presence of scions of both regions within the city's nobility and population at large, in addition to the speaking of Taldane, the common tongue, many inhabitants speak Kelesh or Osiriani. Many of the city's residents own a house, or lease with the intent to purchase. Housing quality and cost varies wildly among the city's residents and districts. The largest dwellings are keeps: large, heavily fortified structures housing the most important families and organizations. Many of these fortifications are self-sufficient, but they are very limited in number because each must be approved by a primarch. Palaces are luxury buildings that are often larger than keeps, but cheaper because they don't require special dispensation from the primarch to build. Manors, which often contain several bedrooms and a large feast hall, kitchen, cellar, and other rooms spread over two floors, are far more common than more luxurious dwellings. More common villas are similar to small manors, with one or two stories holding up to four rooms. Most successful mechants and families live in narrow townhouses that connect with adjoining buildings on one or both sides. Many residents of Absalom live in the many flathouses near markets and docks, which contain multiple small one- or two-bedroom dwellings in one building. Poorer residents live in flops, single room dwellings that share common bathrooms and kitchens. One step above complete privation, bunkhouses offer the poorest inhabitants a single bed or hammock and a small drawer or two to store personal possessions. Many of the city's workers find accomodations in bunks at stores or employers. Religion The most common faiths in Absalom are, of course, those of the four ascended gods: Aroden, Norgorber, Cayden Cailean and Iomedae. In addition to these churches, temples and shrines to Abadar, Nethys, Sarenrae, Calistria, Irori and Shelyn can be found throughout the metropolis. Symbols Absalom's many centuries of immigration have provided it with a dizzying array of guilds, houses, religious and martial orders, and other organizations, each with their own symbols. Absalom as a whole, however, has a number of common symbols. The city's colors are golden yellow (for the Starstone) and green (for the sea and the island's lush pastures). Absalom's mascots are the hippocampus, representing the island's naval power and Sea Cavalry, and the mother-sphinx, imported from Osirion. Absalom's mother-sphinx is typically presented as a winged lion with a female human head and upper body, and occasionally shown pregnant, astride a wave, or with human hands holding a scale and scepter or scroll. The city's motto is "Ex Prothex", which is interpreted to mean "From the First" or "First Among Equals". Absalom's hybrid nature and long history are reflected some of the in the foreign names for it: the Patchwork City, or the City of Buried Treasures. References Category:Nations of Avistan Category:Neutral nations Category:Neutral settlements Category:Nations Category:Absalom/Settlements